Guy Ritchie’s Young Sherlock Series Makes Another Upcoming Sherlock Holmes Project Even More Exciting

Summary Young Sherlock will follow a 19-year-old Sherlock.

The upcoming Watson show features a grieving Watson as both a doctor and detective.

Don't expect to see Sherlock and Watson together in either show, as they focus on separate narratives.

Guy Ritchie’s Young Sherlock series makes another upcoming Sherlock Holmes TV show even more exciting considering which characters and stories they will tackle. One of the most iconic characters of all time, Sherlock Holmes has appeared in dozens of movies and TV shows over the years. Virtually all Sherlock Holmes stories have received screen adaptations in some form, from direct adaptations to modern reinterpretations of the adventures of Holmes and Watson.

BBC’s Sherlock and CBS’s Elementary proved that Sherlock adaptations could go beyond the original books’ setting and delivered great versions of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s characters. Robert Downey Jr.’s Sherlock Holmes movies directed by Guy Ritchie also confirmed the commercial potential of the character, although Sherlock Holmes 3 has yet to happen. Ritchie is now directing a Young Sherlock series at Amazon, but that is not the only Sherlock-related TV show currently in development.

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Young Sherlock Makes The Upcoming Watson Show More Exciting

Young Sherlock might not feature John Watson at all

Young Sherlock is one of many Sherlock Holmes projects currently in development. In addition to the Guy Ritchie prequel and The CW’s Sherlock & Daughter series, there is also a Watson TV show in the works at CBS. Watson, which will take place in modern-day America, will see Morris Chestnut as Dr. John Watson. Watson will be a medical drama and a detective story, following John Watson’s life after the death of Sherlock Holmes at the hands of Moriarty. Although they are very different projects, Young Sherlock makes Watson even more exciting.

A grieving Watson acting as both a doctor and a detective following Sherlock’s death is a fun premise.

Assuming John Watson will not appear in Young Sherlock, which will follow a 19-year-old version of Sherlock Holmes, it is interesting that the famous sidekick is getting his own show in CBS’s Watson. The Watson series will be a different take on the character – something closer to what Elementary did by bringing Sherlock Holmes to modern-day America. Still, as the original narrator of Sherlock’s adventures, John Watson is a fantastic character on his own and welcomes different interpretations just as much as Holmes. A grieving Watson acting as both a doctor and a detective following Sherlock’s death is a fun premise.

Related Sherlock Season 5: Will It Happen? Everything We Know The modern adaptation Sherlock went off the air after a controversial fourth season in 2017, and fans have been clamoring for a season 5 ever since.

Don’t Expect To See Sherlock & Watson Working Together In Either Show

Watson is about John; Young Sherlock is about Sherlock

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With Young Sherlock taking place years before Holmes met Watson and Watson taking place after Sherlock’s death, it is safe to say these two characters will not be working together in either show. Young Sherlock will primarily focus on its young version of Sherlock Holmes, whereas Watson will be about a version of John Watson who has recently lost his best friend. Considering how the majority of Sherlock Holmes books, movies, and TV shows see Holmes and Watson working together, having projects centered on just one of them is an interesting change of pace.

Whether Watson will be in The CW’s Sherlock and Daughter remains to be seen.

That said, both Young Sherlock and Watson could end up surprising viewers by incorporating John and Sherlock, respectively. Young Sherlock could use John Watson in some way, even if he and Sherlock never interacted. The series can also change the books’ canon by having Sherlock and John meet as teenagers. Likewise, Watson will most likely bring back Sherlock Holmes at some point, as Sherlock’s death at the hands of Moriarty is known to be a fake-out. Either way, Watson and Young Sherlock are the latest examples of the potential of the characters created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.